Valve with actuation sub-assembly

ABSTRACT

A valve assembly includes a valve body with an inlet, an outlet, and a chamber extending between the inlet and the outlet and an actuation sub-assembly. Positioned in the chamber is a flow restrictor, which is positionable between a valve open position wherein the fluid communication between the inlet and outlet is open and a valve closed position wherein the fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet is closed. A slow-close actuation sub-assembly includes a stem for engaging the flow restrictor, and includes a handle and plurality of annular members disposed around a shaft for resisting rotation of the shaft via the handle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of copending U.S.application Ser. No. 12/408,086, filed Mar. 20, 2009, by Applicant EricNathaniel Combs, entitled VALVE WITH ACTUATION SUB-ASSEMBLY, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/247,791, filed Oct.11, 2005, entitled VALVE WITH ACTUATION SUB-ASSEMBLY, by Applicant EricNathaniel Combs, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,516,941, which are hereinincorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a valve and, moreparticularly, to a ball valve for use in the fire fighting industry.

Valves, specifically ball valves, within the fire fighting industry havegone through relatively little change over the years except with regardto actuation method. Initially, valves were manually operated throughpush/pull rods attached to the valve handle in order to open and closethe valve. However, over time, handwheel gear drive actuation, electricactuation, rack and sector actuation and slow close actuation have beendeveloped to provide flexibility and expanded capability of the valveapplications. Because the actuation device for each method issignificantly different, revised valve bodies were developed toaccommodate attachment of the different actuation devices to the valve.While a small portion of the exterior of the valve was changed, thebasic water way of the valve was not altered. The result is a singlevalve requirement, 2.5″ ball valve for instance, will have as many asfour different body configurations to provide the user with theopportunity to select from the five different actuation methods.

Consequently, a valve manufacturer is required to have a large inventoryof valves to accommodate the various different body configurations.Furthermore, a different mold is required for each valve, whichincreases the cost to produce the different style valves. In addition,once the valve is installed because the valve bodies are notinterchangeable, the valve actuation methods cannot be changed afterinstallation. Furthermore, repair parts for the respective valves tendto be more expensive due to the lack of commonality of the valve bodies.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved valve that can accommodatedifferent actuation devices without the need for different valve bodies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a valve body is provided that can beused in combination with any one of a plurality of actuationsub-assemblies that allow the user to fully open, fully close, orpartially open the valve, including, for example, a mechanical actuationsub-assembly, a gear actuation sub-assembly, including an electric gearactuation sub-assembly or a handwheel gear actuation sub-assembly, aslow-close actuation assembly, a rack and sector actuation sub-assembly,or the like, or provide for only a fully open valve or fully closedvalve, such as a pneumatic or hydraulic actuation sub-assembly.

Consequently, the present invention has reduced the inventoryrequirements of a valve manufacturer and, further, provides a valve thatcan be retrofit with another actuation sub-assembly even when installed.

In one form of the invention, a valve assembly includes a valve body,with an inlet, an outlet, and a chamber extending between the inlet andthe outlet, a valve ball, an actuator, and an actuation sub-assembly.The valve ball includes a ball body and a transverse passage extendingthrough the ball body. The valve ball is positioned in the chamber andis positionable between a valve open position wherein the transversepassage of the valve ball provides fluid communication between the inletand the outlet and a valve closed position wherein the ball body blocksthe fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet. The valve ballalso includes an engagement surface for engagement by the actuator. Inaddition, the valve body includes a valve body wall with a planarportion. The planar portion includes a mounting surface for mounting theactuation sub-assembly to the valve body, with the actuator extendingthrough the planar portion of the valve body wall for engagement withthe engagement surface of the valve ball and for engagement by theactuation sub-assembly.

In one aspect, actuation sub-assembly comprises a manual actuationsub-assembly, a twist-lock actuation sub-assembly, a gear actuationsub-assembly, such as an electric gear actuation sub-assembly or ahandwheel gear actuation sub-assembly, a rack and sector actuationsub-assembly, a slow close actuation sub-assembly, or a pneumatic orhydraulic actuation sub-assembly. Further, the actuation sub-assemblymay include the actuator.

In other aspects, the valve body wall includes a cylindrical portion,the cylindrical portion having terminal edges termination at opposedsides of the planar portion. In addition, the valve body furtherincludes a pair of valve seats, with the cylindrical portion extendingbetween the pair of valve seats and the planar portion extending betweenthe valve seats and spanning between the terminal edges of thecylindrical portion.

According to another form of the invention, a valve body includes avalve body wall having a cylindrical portion and a planar portion andfirst and second valve seats, with the generally cylindrical portionextending between the first and second valve seats. A valve ball ispositioned between the valve seats in the chamber formed by the valvebody wall. The valve ball has a ball body and a transverse passageextending through the ball body and is positionable between a valve openposition wherein the transverse passage provides fluid communicationbetween the inlet and the outlet and a valve closed position wherein theball body blocks fluid communication between the inlet and the outlet.In addition, the valve ball includes an engagement surface forengagement by an actuator. The planar portion of the valve body walldefines a mounting surface and has a transverse passageway extendingtherethrough for receiving the actuator cooperative with one of each ofa manual actuation sub-assembly, a gear actuation sub-assembly, such asan electric gear actuation sub-assembly or a handwheel gear actuationsub-assembly, a twist-lock actuation sub-assembly, a rack and sectoractuation sub-assembly, and a slow close actuation sub-assembly.

In one aspect, the planar portion extends between the first and secondvalve seats.

In other aspects, the valve body wall includes second and third planarportions interconnecting the first planar portion and the cylindricalportion. The second and third planar portions also extend and spanbetween the valve seats.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a valve body that can beused in a number of valve configurations, including a mechanicallyactuated valve configuration, an electrically actuated valveconfiguration, a handwheel actuated valve configuration, a slow-closevalve configuration, a rack and sector actuated valve configuration, ora pneumatically or hydraulically actuated configuration, or the like.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes, and features of theinvention will become more apparent from the study of the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a valve body of the present inventionwith examples of different actuator sub-assemblies that may be mountedto the valve body;

FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of the valve body of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a valve body with a manual actuationsub-assembly;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the valve body and actuation sub-assemblyof FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an elevation view of the manual actuation sub-assembly;

FIG. 5A is an exploded perspective view of the sub-assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view taken along line FIG. VI-VI of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the valve body of the present inventionwith a slow-close actuation sub-assembly;

FIG. 8 is an elevation view of the valve assembly of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is cross-section view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a cross-section view taken along line X-X of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of the slow-close actuation device ofthe slow-close actuation assembly;

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the slow-close device of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view of the slow-close device of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14A is a cross-section view taken along line XIVA-XIVA of FIG. 11;

FIG. 14B is a cross-section view taken along line XIVB-XIVB of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the valve body of the present inventionwith a gear actuator sub-assembly;

FIG. 16 is an elevation view of the valve assembly of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a cross-section view taken along XVII-XVII of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a cross-section view taken along line XVIII-XVIII of FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a side view of the gear actuator sub-assembly;

FIG. 19A is an exploded perspective view of the gear actuatorsub-assembly of FIG. 19;

FIG. 20 is a cross-section view taken along line XX-XX of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a cross-section view taken along line XXI-XXI of FIG. 19;

FIG. 22 is a side elevation view of the valve body of the presentinvention incorporating a twist lock actuator sub-assembly;

FIG. 23 is a cross-section view taken along line XXIII-XXIII of FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a side elevation view of the twist lock actuator sub-assemblyof FIG. 22;

FIG. 25 is a cross-section view taken along line XXV-XXV of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is an exploded perspective view of the twist lock actuator ofFIG. 24;

FIG. 27 is an enlarged side elevation view of a rack and sector actuatorsub-assembly;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the rack and sector actuatorsub-assembly;

FIG. 29 is a top plan view of the rack and sector actuator sub-assemblyof FIG. 27;

FIG. 30 is a cross-section view taken along line XXX-XXX of FIG. 27; and

FIG. 31 is an exploded perspective view of the rack and sector actuatorsub-assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral 10 generally designates a valve body ofthe present invention. As will be more fully described below, valve body10 is configured to receive one of several actuation sub-assemblies foropening and closing the valve. For example, valve body 10 is configuredto receive an actuator of a manual actuation sub-assembly, a gearactuation sub-assembly (which can be either electrically driven ordriven by a handwheel), a twist lock actuation sub-assembly, a rack andsector actuation sub-assembly, or a slow-close actuation sub-assembly.Alternately, valve body 10 may incorporate the actuator, with theactuation sub-assemblies adapted to cooperate with the actuator and thevalve body. Though for ease of description, the actuation sub-assembliesdescribed herein incorporate the actuator. Further, though illustratedand described in reference to a ball valve, it should be understood thatthe concepts of the present invention may be used with other types ofvalves, such as gate valves or butterfly valves or the like.

Referring to FIG. 1A, valve body 10 includes a housing 12 and a valveball 14. Housing 12 includes a housing wall 16 and a pair of mountingflanges 18 and 20 for mounting the valve body between a respective pairof flanges in a piping system, for example. Valve ball 14 is located inpassageway 22 of housing 12 and, further, captured therein by a pair ofvalve seats 24 and 26, which form a pair of opposed valve seat sealingsurfaces 24 a, 26 a (FIG. 4) for valve body 10. As would be understoodby those skilled in the art, valve ball 14 includes a transversepassageway 28, which when aligned along the longitudinal axis 12 a ofhousing 12 is in fluid communication with the inlet 30 and outlet 32 ofvalve seats 24 and 26. To close the valve, valve ball 14 is pivoted orswiveled about its vertical axis 14 a on a pivot bolt 34 by an actuator,which will be more fully described below, so that its valve ball wall 36is seated in the valve seats 24 and 26 to thereby close the fluidcommunication between the inlet and outlet of the valve.

Referring again to FIG. 1A, as noted above, housing 12 includes ahousing wall 16. To accommodate the various actuators, housing wall 16includes a generally cylindrical portion 16 a and a generally planarportion 16 b, which is offset from the circumference of cylindricalportion 16 a by an offset portion 40 and forms an adapter plate 38.Offset portion 40 is generally planar and perpendicular to planarportion 16 b and, further, like planar portion 16 b, extends betweenflanges 18 and 20. Plate 38 provides a generally planar 42 mountingsurface for the respective actuation assemblies described herein andincludes a transverse opening 44 through which the actuator of therespective actuation assembly extends for engagement with valve ball 14.

In each of the respective actuation assemblies described herein, theactuators that engage the valve ball are substantially identical so thateach of the various actuation assemblies may be substituted for anotheractuation assembly even after the valve has been installed. Further, asingle valve body may be used as a manually actuated valve, a twist lockactuated valve, a gear drive actuated valve, a rack and sector actuatedvalve, and a slow-close actuated valve. This modular aspect providesseveral advantages. For example, common tooling may be used in themanufacturing of the valve bodies and, further, in some of the actuatorassembly parts. As would be understood, common tooling reduces theamount of inventories that are needed to provide the full range of valvetypes.

Referring to FIG. 2, the numeral 60 generally designates a manuallyactuated valve assembly of the present invention. Valve assembly 60includes valve body 10 and a manual actuation sub-assembly 62. Manualactuation sub-assembly 62, as previously noted, includes an actuator 64for opening and closing the valve and an adapter 66, which is configuredto mount sub-assembly 62 to valve body 10 on plate 38 at mountingsurface 42, As best seen in FIG. 4, actuator 64 extends through adapter66 for engagement with the engagement surface of the valve ball to pivotthe ball valve about pivot bolt 34 to thereby open or close the valve.Adapter 66 includes an upwardly extending collar 68 with a pair of stops70 and 72, which provide the open and close valve positions for theactuator, described more fully below.

Referring to FIGS. 4-6 and 5A, upper portion 64 a of actuator 64includes a handle H1, H2, H3, H4 shown in FIG. 1, which is rotatablycoupled to actuator 64 and mounted thereto a bolt 74 which is threadedinto upper end 64 a of actuator 64 and, further, mounted thereon over awasher 76 to thereby lock the handle to the actuator. Similar to stopplate 78 described below, the handle has a non-circular opening formounting the handle on the non-circular portion (64 a) of actuator 64.Thus, rotation of the handle about axis 60 a induces rotation ofactuator 64. Also mounted to upper end 64 a of actuator 64 is a stopplate 78. Stop plate 78 is rotatably coupled to actuator 64 by virtue ofthe non-circular cross-section of actuator 64 at its upper end 64 a andthe non-circular opening 78 a provided in stop plate 78 that mounts stopplate 78 about upper end 64 a of actuator 64. Stop plate 78 rests on ashoulder 64 b of actuator 64 and, as noted, is rotatably coupled toactuator 64 such that rotation of the handle about vertical axis 60 acauses stop plate 78 to rotate about axis 60 a along with actuator 64.Stop plate 78 includes an outwardly projecting tab 80 for engagementwith stops 70 and 72 of adapter 66, which limit the rotation of actuator64 between a first position where tab 80 engages stop 70 and a secondposition in which tab 80 engages stop 72, which represent the opened andclosed positions of the valve.

Actuator 64 further includes a flange 64 c at a lower end of its medialportion 64 d, which has a larger diameter than the opening 44 of adapterplate 38, which acts as a stop to limit downward movement of actuator 64into the valve body and valve ball 14. In addition, mounted over flange64 c is a washer 65 so that when adapter 66 is mounted to adapter plate38 with fasteners 66 a (FIG. 2), flange 64 c is captured between adapter66 and adapter plate 38 to thereby fix the vertical position of adapter64 with respect to valve ball 14. To seal actuator 64 in housing 12,actuator 64 includes mounted about its lower portion 64 e a seal 64 f,such as an o-ring seal.

To reduce friction, positioned between adapter 66 and the intermediateportion 64 d of actuator 64 is a bushing 82 with an annular lip 84,which rests on shoulder 86 of adapter 66. In addition, to assurerotation occurs between the stop plate and adapter 66, a bearing brake88 is mounted about the upper end of intermediate portion 64 d, whichprovides a stationery bearing surface for the stop plate. Referring toFIG. 5A, bearing brake 88 comprises an annular member with a pair oftabs 90 and 92 that are located in recesses 94 and 96 of collar 68 ofadapter 66 to rotationally lock brake 88 with respect to adapter 66.Positioned between bearing brake 88 and adapter 66 is a spring 98. Inthe illustrated embodiment, spring 98 comprises a wave washer, whichurges brake 88 upward toward the underside of stop plate 78 to maintainfriction between stop plate 78 and brake 88 and as a result creates atight connection between the various parts.

As best seen in FIGS. 4, 5A, and 6, lower end 64 e of actuator 64includes a cylindrical pin 64 g and an enlarged generally cylindricalbody 64 h. Referring to FIG. 4, cylindrical pin 64 g and body 64 hextend into a slotted recess 14 b in wall of valve ball 14. As best seenin FIG. 4, slotted recess 14 b includes a central opening 14 c intowhich pin 64 g extends and further aligns with pivot bolt 34. Body 64 his sized and shaped such that body 64 h can be inserted into recess 14 band includes a pair of opposed generally planar engagement surfaces 64i, which are generally parallel and, further, are spaced apartapproximately the width of recess 14 b. In this manner, when actuator 64is rotated about axis 60 a, surfaces 64 i of actuator 64 will bearagainst the sides of recess 14 b and rotate valve ball 14 about verticalaxis 14 a about pin 64 g and bolt 34 to thereby move the valve ballbetween its opened and closed positions to thereby open or close thevalve.

Referring to FIG. 7, the numeral 160 refers to a slow-close actuatedvalve assembly. Slow-close actuated valve assembly 160 is of similarconstruction to manually actuated valve assembly 60 and includes valvebody 10 and a slow-close actuation sub-assembly 162. Slow closeactuation sub-assembly 162 is of similar construction to manualactuation sub-assembly 62 but includes additional components to providea “slow-close” function for the valve assembly.

As best seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, sub-assembly 162 includes an actuator164, an adapter 166, and a stop plate 178, similar to the previousembodiment. Further, actuator 164 includes an enlarged flange 164 c,which is captured between adapter 166 and adapter plate 38 of valve body10. In the slow-close actuation assembly, mounted to upper end 164 a ofactuator 164 is a slow-close device 200, which includes a plurality ofnested annular members 201, 202, and 204, which are mounted to upper end164 a of coupler 164 on a shaft 206 by an elongated bolt 174 and washer176. Shaft 206 is generally cylindrical in shape and includes anon-circular cross-section at its lower end 206 a that inserts into anon-circular opening in member 201 to thereby rotatably couple member201 and shaft 206. Further shaft 206 includes an annular flange 206 bthat extends between annular members 202 and 204 and is sized to formannular spaces 207 a and 207 b between flange 206 b and member 202 andbetween flange 206 b and member 204. These spaces form orifices for ahydraulic fluid, more fully described below. In addition, flange 206 bincludes two extended flange portions 206 c (FIG. 14) which haveterminal ends to form a pair of chambers 207 c, 207 d, which are influid communication with each other through orifices 207 a, 207 b.Further, member 204 includes a fill opening 204 a (FIG. 12) that is influid communication with one of the chambers and which allows hydraulicfluid to be introduced into the chambers. After filling, fill opening204 a is then closed by a set screw. In addition, seals S are providedbetween each of the members 201, 202, and 204 and the shaft to seal thechambers. Consequently, when shaft 206 is rotated in member 202, thehydraulic fluid creates a resistance to provide the slow-close function,as will be further explained below.

To actuate the slow-close device, slow-close device 200 includes ahandle 212. Annular member 201 includes a slotted opening 208 in itsdownwardly depending annular wall 210 to receive handle 212. Handle 212includes a non-circular transverse opening 212 a for mounting handle 212about upper portion 164 a of actuator 164, which similarly has anon-circular cross-section to thereby rotationally couple handle 212,and in turn annular member 201, to actuator 164. In addition, whenhandle 212 is rotated, shaft 206, which is rotatably coupled to member201 also will rotate. In contrast, annular member 202 is fixed relativeto adapter 166 by a pin 209, which extends between respective boresprovided in adapter 166 and annular member 202. As would be understoodby those skilled in the art, when handle 212 is rotated, actuator 164will pivot valve ball 14 about pivot bolt 34 and actuator 164, with therotation of handle 212 being resisted by the hydraulic fluid as itpasses between the two chambers of the slow-close device through therespective orifices. Again, tabs 180 of the stop plate 178 will limitthe angular rotation of actuator 164 between the two stops (170 and 172)on adapter 166 which correspond to the open and closed positions of thevalve.

In this manner, slow close device 200 is an add-on feature that can bemounted on a manual actuation assembly to control the opening andclosing of the valve.

Referring to FIGS. 15-17, the numeral 360 generally refers to a gearactuated valve assembly. Gear actuated valve assembly 160 includes valvebody 1.0 and a gear actuation sub-assembly 362. Gear actuationsub-assembly 362 similarly mounts to adapter plate 38 at mountingsurface 42 of valve body 10 and includes an actuator 364 and a housing366, which is adapted to mount sub-assembly 362 to valve body 10 onplate 38 at mounting surface 42. Actuator 364 is of similar constructionto actuators 64 and 164 and includes an upper portion 364 a, anintermediate portion 364 d, and a lower portion 364 e, which engages andpivots valve ball 14 in a similar manner described in reference to thefirst embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 17, housing 366 is mounted to adapter plate 38 ofvalve body 10 by a plurality of fasteners 366 a that extend throughlower or base wall 366 b of housing 366. In a similar manner toactuators 64 and 164, actuator 364 includes a washer 365 which ismounted about intermediate portion 364 d of actuator 364 and which restson enlarged flange 364 c of actuator 364 wherein flange 364 c iscaptured between adapter plate 38 and lower wall 366 b of housing 366when housing 366 is mounted to plate 38.

As best seen in FIGS. 17 and 18, positioned and mounted in housing 366is a gear sector 378 and a worm gear 380. Gear sector 378 is mounted toupper end 364 a of actuator 364 by a bolt 374 and washer 376. Referringto FIG. 19, sector 378 includes a non-circular opening 378 a so thatsector 378 is rotatably coupled to actuator 364 so that when sector 378is rotated about axis 362 a, actuator 364 will rotate to open or closethe valve.

Worm gear 380 is mounted adjacent gear section 378 about a shaft 382that is rotatably supported in housing 366 to rotatably support wormgear 380 in housing 366. Worm gear 380 engages sector 378 so thatrotational movement of the shaft 382, which drives worm gear 380, willdrive sector 378 and in turn actuator 364 between open and closedpositions, which correspond to the gear stops that limit the rotation ofthe actuator, for example, to 90° . Optionally and preferably, housing366 includes a cover 266 c to enclose the actuator drive mechanism. Aswould be understood by those skilled in the art, an electronic motor orhandle or handwheel may be coupled to shaft 382 and mounted externallyand, in some cases, remotely from housing 366. In this manner,sub-assembly 362 may be used as an electric actuation sub-assembly or ahandwheel actuation sub-assembly.

Referring to FIGS. 22 and 23, the numeral 460 generally designatesanother embodiment of a valve assembly of the present invention. Valveassembly 460 is configured as a twist-lock actuated valve assembly andincludes valve body 10 and a twist-lock sub-assembly 462. Similar to theprevious embodiments, twist-lock sub-assembly 462 includes an actuator464, which is of similar construction to actuators 364, 164, and 64.Also similar to the previous embodiments, twist-lock sub-assembly 462 isadapted to mount to adapter plate 38 at mounting surface 42 of valvebody 10 so that actuator 464 can be extended through adapter plate 38 toselectively rotate valve ball 14 about pivot bolt 34 and actuator 364.For further details of how actuator pivots valve ball 14, reference ismade to the previous embodiments.

As best seen in FIG. 23, twist-lock sub-assembly 462 includes an adapter466, which fastens to adapter plate 38 by a plurality of fasteners 466a. Actuator 464 extends through adapter 466 with its lower end 464 eextended through adapter plate 38 for engagement with valve ball 14 andits upper end 464 a extending through a stop plate 478. stop plate 478is mounted in adapter 466 and includes a pair of tabs 480 and 480 b forengagement with stops 470 and 472 provided or formed in adapter 466 in asimilar manner to the first and second embodiments. In addition, similarto the previous embodiments, stop plate 478 includes a non-circularopening 478 a which cooperates with a non-circular cross-section ofupper portion 464 a of actuator 464 to rotatably couple stop plate 478to actuator 464. Also, mounted to upper end 464 a is a lock wedge 480, alock elevator 482, and a cover 484. Cover 484 supports a rod 486 with aknob 488 and is secured to upper end 464 a of actuator 464 by a bolt 474and washer 476. In this manner, when rod 486 is rotated about axis 460a, valve ball 14 will be moved between its open and closed position.

As best seen in FIGS. 23 and 25, the distal end of rod 486 a includes anannular groove 486 b for engagement by an upwardly projecting flange 482a of lock elevator 482. In this manner, when rod 486 is pushed intocover 484 with a threading action, rod 486 will push elevator 482inwardly, which has a ramped surface that contacts the ramped surface ofwedge 480 so that elevator 482 causes wedge 480 to rise or lift, whichcauses the actuator to lift or pull up. This upward force includesincreased friction between the actuator 464 and adapter 466, whichresists rotation and which locks the valve position.

Referring to FIGS. 27-31, the numeral 562 represents a rack and sectoractuation sub-assembly that is suitable for use with valve body 10described in reference to the previous embodiments. Similar to theprevious embodiments, rack and sector actuation sub-assembly 562includes an actuator 564, which is of similar construction to actuators164, 364, and 464, and an adapter 566. Therefore, for further details ofactuator 564 reference is made to the previous embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 28 and 29, adapter 566 includes an upper adaptermember 566 a and a lower adapter member 566 b, each with a plurality ofmounting holes for receiving fasteners (not shown) for securing adapter566 to plate 38 at mounting surface 42 of body 10. Actuator 564 extendsthrough adapter 566 for engagement with valve ball 14 and similarlyincludes an enlarged mounting flange 564 c and, further, a washer 565,which are captured between adapter 566 and mounting surface 42 of plate38 of valve 10 when sub-assembly 562 is mounted to valve 10.

Lower adapter member 566 b includes an upwardly extending collar 566 cwhich extends through upper adapter member 566 a, which provides abearing surface for a gear sector 578, which is rotatably coupled toupper portion 564 a and is secured thereto by a bolt 574 and washer 576.Gear sector 578 and upper portion 564 a of actuator 564 have a similarnon-circular interface to provide a rotational coupling between the twocomponents. As best seen in FIGS. 28 and 29, gear sector 578 is drivenby a rack 582, which is rotatably mounted in upper adapter member 566 aby a pair of bushings 582 a and 582 b. Bushings 582 a and 582 b aresupported in upwardly extending tabs or flanges 566 d of upper adaptermember 566 a. Optionally and preferably, sub-assembly 562 includes anangle bracket 586, which secures to the lower adapter member 566 b,which by a pair of fasteners 586 a and includes an upwardly projectingflange 588, which is located and mounted adjacent the teeth of the rack(582) (FIG. 29).

Accordingly, the present invention provides a valve body that is adaptedto accept several actuation sub-assemblies, which provides severaladvantages as noted above. This single valve body that can be used inseveral applications provides a great improvement over the prior artand, further, provides a basis on which further actuation assemblies canbe modeled.

While several forms of the invention have been shown and described,other forms will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. Forexample, other types of actuator sub-assemblies may be used, such aspneumatic or hydraulic actuator sub-assemblies. Therefore, it will beunderstood that the embodiments shown in the drawings and describedabove are merely for illustrative purposes, and are not intended tolimit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims whichfollow as interpreted under the principles of patent law including thedoctrine of equivalents.

1. A valve assembly comprising: a valve body, said valve body having avalve body wall, an inlet, an outlet, and a chamber; a flow restrictorhaving a restrictor body, said flow restrictor being positionablebetween a valve open position wherein said flow restrictor allows fluidcommunication between said inlet and said outlet and a valve closedposition wherein said restrictor body blocks the fluid communicationbetween said inlet and said outlet; a slow-close actuation sub-assemblyfor rotatably driving said flow restrictor, said slow-close actuationsub-assembly including a stem and a shaft, and further including firstand second annular members, said first annular member being rotatablewith said shaft relative to said second annular member, said firstannular member further having an annular wall defining a slottedopening; a handle coupled to said stem and operable to rotate said stem,said handle extending through said slotted opening of said annular wallof said first annular member and operable to rotate said first annularmember via engagement of said handle with said annular wall at saidslotted opening; a resistive element disposed between said shaft andsaid second annular member, said resistive element operable to resistrotation of said shaft relative to said second annular member; andwherein said handle, said first annular member, said shaft, and saidstem together are rotatable relative to said second annular member andsaid valve body wherein said resistive element resistively permitsrotation of said shaft relative to said second annular member, and whensaid slow-close actuation sub-assembly is mounted at said valve bodysaid stem extends through said valve body wall for engagement with saidflow restrictor.
 2. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein saidresistive element comprises a hydraulic fluid.
 3. The valve assembly ofclaim 2, further comprising a fluid chamber defined between said secondannular member and said shaft for receiving said hydraulic fluid.
 4. Thevalve assembly of claim 1, wherein said shaft directly engages said stemso that rotation of said handle imparts rotation directly to both saidstem and said first annular member, whereby said shaft is rotatable inresponse to rotation of said stem and said first annular member by saidhandle.
 5. The valve assembly of claim 1, further comprising: an adapterfor coupling said slow-close actuation sub-assembly to said valve body;a pin extending between said adapter and said second annular member; andwherein said second annular member is held substantially fixed relativeto said valve body by said pin.
 6. The valve assembly of claim 5,further comprising a stop plate including at least one tab, said stopplate coupled to said stem for rotation with said stem, and said adapterfurther comprising stops corresponding to the valve open position andthe valve closed position of said flow restrictor, respectively, whereinsaid at least one tab limits the rotation of said stem when said atleast one tab contacts said stops.
 7. The valve assembly of claim 6,wherein said stop plate comprises a non-circular opening for receivingsaid non-circular portion of said stem.
 8. The valve assembly of claim1, further comprising a third annular member coupled to said secondannular member, each of said second and third annular members defining arespective circular central opening for rotatably receiving a respectivecircular portion of said shaft, and wherein said second and thirdannular members are both non-rotatable relative to said valve body. 9.The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said handle is coupled onlyindirectly to said shaft via at least one of said stem and said firstannular member.
 10. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said stemcomprises a non-circular portion and said handle comprises anon-circular opening for receiving said non-circular portion of saidstem.
 11. The valve assembly of claim 10, wherein said shaft comprises anon-circular portion and said first annular member comprises anon-circular central opening for receiving said non-circular portion ofsaid shaft.
 12. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said shaftcomprises a non-circular portion and said first annular member comprisesa non-circular central opening for receiving said non-circular portionof said shaft.
 13. The valve assembly of claim 1, wherein said stemincludes an upper portion and a lower portion, said lower portionengaging said engagement surface of said valve ball, and said uppersurface for engagement by said handle.